Baby's murder puzzles cops
2005-06-17 08:24
Cape Town - Several puzzling questions about the murder of a six-month-old baby girl from Lansdowne remain unanswered while police are searching for the murderers.
Jordan Leigh Norton was stabbed to death during a robbery at her family's home in Scout Avenue on Wednesday.
Four men gained entry to the house at about 09:55 by pretending that they were delivering a parcel.
Police released an identikit of one of the suspects on Thursday. The man is in his early twenties and is slight with a dark complexion. No descriptions are available of the other suspects.
Natasha Norton, Jordan's mother, said she hopes the suspects are arrested soon so that the family can get some answers.
"Why did they kill my child? Nothing can bring her back, but I would like to prevent something like this from happening again."
Vernon Norton, Jordan's grandfather, said on Thursday that he does not know why his family was targeted. Norton received a call on Tuesday evening that informed him that a parcel would be delivered the next day.
A man knocked on the door on Wednesday morning with a parcel addressed to Mr Norton. When his son, Dylan, 18, wanted to sign for it, the men pulled out knives and stormed into the house, Dylan and the baby's nanny, who were the only ones home at the time of the robbery, were tied up and locked in a room.
The robbers apparently knew that there was a safe containing a gun in the house and took this. Other valuables were left untouched.
Stab wound
The murder of Jordan - whom Dylan later found in her bed with a stab wound to her neck - has raised suspicions that this was no ordinary robbery.
Ms Norton did not want to discuss details about Jordan's father.
She and Dylan are not staying at the house at present. "I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think what the robbers did to my child in this house. It is actually so unfair, because it is my house and all Jordan's things are here."
Meanwhile, a delegation of the local mosque met with police to discuss concerns of local residence about their safety.
On a visit to the family, Sheik Ismail Isaacs said a community meeting was planned for next Friday at the Islamia College in Rondebosch East to create a neighbourhood watch.
Isaacs said they were even willing to pay people to patrol the neighbourhood.
He said something like this could happen to anyone in the neighbourhood and residents have to unite against crime.
Captain Elliot Sinyangana, police spokesperson, said police are following up certain clues, which include the telephone call to the house and the origin of the parcel. He called on the community to provide police with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.
Anyone with information relevant to the case can phone Detective Esmerald Bailey at the unit against serious violent crime on 021 467 6006 or 08600 10111.